Md. Atikur Rahman

Education is the backbone of a nation.' But most of the time our political leaders forget the truth. They favour their rough political game over education. Instead of pen, they favour guns for students. Thus, today our educational institutions are oriented not to education and talent rather guns and gatherings.

However, our students have a glorious history when they played leading role in making the nation free from foreign occupation, repression and establishing the rights of the people. Then, student organizations were oriented to student's interests as well as the greater welfare of the nation. But with the passage of time, they became the front association of the political parties.

Today, our political leaders are playing double game. When in government they want the students to keep themselves aloof from politics but when in opposition, on the other hand, they want them to take a leading part in politics. The present controversy over banning students' organizations /institutions is also the result of the double standard of our politicians.
Compared to pre liberation student's politics, the nature and characteristics of our present day students organizations have been changed a lot.

Firstly at present, student politics is considered as an important basis of political power in national politics. Students are now powerful not only for their own organizations/academic institutions rather for their political entities too. Secondly nowadays, students' politics is neither people oriented nor education oriented rather oriented toward personal interest and power. Their movements are not for the sake of students but only to strengthen their position at their campus.

They are not the students' leaders rather power elites of our societies. Thirdly- in the past, the students were to protest against oppression, repression and injustice. They were to move for humanity against brutality. Unfortunately, such character of our students' organizations has been changed. The kinds of our present day student politics are mercenary, rent-seeking violence and crime loving. Fourthly another important trend of our students' politics is confrontation between rival student organizations to take control of a specific region on institution. For this, ever they do not hesitate to kill their opponents.

The most devilries to their activities are that they sometimes kill their own cadres only to create a troublesome situation in their respective institutions. Fifthly-all the terrorist groups of students are booked by politicians who use them to perpetuate their position in and outside the party. Sometimes, the fractions in students' organization commensurate with those of political parties belong to them.

Finally-the students at large matter little to the leaders' who capture halls, manipulate business bids & hoard benefits and climb the socio-economic ladder-including ever seats in parliament. So various student fronts being formed are just the reflections of the political parties whose immediate goals have to grab more power and enjoy it.

The arguments that are general put against students' taking any interest in politics because students are immature, and it is likely that they will be easily misguided by clever agents of political parties. Even the present status of students' politics in our country is enough to prove such claim. Though active participation of students in politics, students are being derailed and today the educational institutions of our country have became the fighting grounds.

Students are more familiar with guns than books. Thus, if we fail to make the education free from politics we would remain backward in this ever changing world. Those who support the banning of students politics, they argue that students politics is the source of many socio-political crime and disorders in the country. It has become a threat to the right development of our country.

Overall, a student is expected to devote his time and effort in studies, rather than involve himself / herself in the rough and tumble of polities. Studies and politics are in fact diametrically opposite attributes and they are but incompatible. It is, however unfortunate, that the money and power attract the youth to it. This is for, in the words of G. Bernared Shaw, a person with political aspirations "knows nothing and he/she thinks he/she knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."

It is unfortunate to see the students being increasingly exploited by political parties, for their own very interest. They exploit the young blood, for their dirty work by using them to promote their divisive and cattiest politics. At times, they also exhort them to violence, for their perceived or drummed up grievances to get political mileage.

Quite often many a promising youth's career is ruined, because of their mechanization. This is a very dangerous sign for the impressionable mind of the student who can be easily led astray. The students should, therefore, not take part in politics. The political parties should behave responsibly and not involve students in their dirty work. They should desist from doing so, for it portends a great danger to the youth, who are the future of the country.

The recent incidents of unethical activities and fights in the name of student politics in Dhaka University and Eden College are really sad. We want to ensure fair learning environment in educational institutions. We hope that the concerned will pay more attention to this issue.

The Writer, Columnist & Former Head of PRD at BUFT